Honorable Secrets
by griffindork93
Summary: an Alanna the Lioness take on the Naruto world. In a world where only men can be shinobi, Sakura switches places with a brother to become the first Kunoichi in 1000 years. Now she only has to hide her gender for the next 8 years.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: in honor of my one year anniversary as an author on fanfiction i've decided to update all my in-progress stories and to put up a few new ones. Hopefully, if i ever get writer's block, i can cure it by writing one of seven other stories.**

**This story came in second in the poll, but since I couldn't wait to start writing Saving Sasuke thanks to the brilliant muse known as Angellwriter, I felt I owed it to those that voted to write the other two stories as well.**

Sakura studied her image in the mirror. Her eyes crossed as they stared at the lock of hair she held in front of her nose.

It was red.

It looked weird, wrong. It wasn't pink. Her pink hair was unique, it defined her. Her hair was the reason she was named Sakura. She felt like a part of her was missing.

"Red suits you."

Sakura didn't listen to her brother. He would say it looked good on her. He had red hair. She looked at her face critically. She supposed it wasn't too bad. It was a pretty shade of red and it still matched her green eyes.

"Now it just needs to be cut. Come, I'll do it."

She knelt in front of her brother. He raised a dull practice kunai to the back of her neck and chopped off her now long red hair. Sakura sat still as he continued to slice off small snippets of hair, evening out and styling it to resemble his hair.

"There, done." Her brother gave her a gentle push. "Now take a look at yourself. You don't look anything like you."

Green eyes flicked to the mirror. He was right. Sakura could pass for her brother's twin if she was but a bit taller.

"Right. I'll go talk to Uncle now."

"Sakura," she paused in the doorway as her brother stood, every other step thudding as he walked, to catch her in a hug, "thank you."

She turned to smile at her brother.

"There's no need to thank me, Satoshi. I would do anything for you, as you would for me." And it was true. Their father didn't care for them. Their mother had died in childbirth, so both children were practically raised by the servants. Satoshi at least had a year to know their mother, but all he could remember was her crooning voice, glowing smile, and red hair.

Sakura didn't begrudge her brother that time with their mother and he never blamed her for her death. They grew up being all each other had. Their father would shut himself in his office all day to run his estate. He never even visited Satoshi after his accident with carriage that lost him his leg. He actually thought it was his daughter that was crippled.

Maybe he had been informed wrong. Maybe he just didn't care. Maybe he wanted to think that it was Sakura, so that when the time came to send Satoshi to the Shinobi Institute, he would actually have a son to present as the law demanded.

That was why they were doing this. Sakura would spend the next eight years masquerading as he brother to earn the title of Shinobi. The law said that each noble family had to send at least one male child to the Institute.

Being a shinobi was something Sakura played at as a child, racing around the gardens mock fighting bandits and assassins. But it was never more than a child's dream. Females were not allowed to become shinobi. There hadn't been a female shinobi, a kunoichi, in over a thousand years. Tsunade of the Legendary Sannin had more than proved that females could be stronger than males and she was a phenomenal medical shinobi, revolutionizing medical ninjutsus, but not even she was granted the title kunoichi.

Sakura knew this wasn't going to be an easy undertaking. But she was prepared to work hard, harder than the boys if she had to. She wouldn't disappoint Satoshi or her Uncle. She wouldn't shame her family.

While she took his place at the Institute, Satoshi would take hers at the finishing school. Lucky for him, he didn't have to dress as a girl for eight years. The finishing school also took in boys training to be diplomats.

All they had to do was tell Father that Sakura would be lonely and wanted to attend early. He would send payment to both the Institute and finishing school as planned, and they could play off the wrong names as my father doesn't care. He spends more time with his books than me. The name on the letter would matter so long as they were getting paid.

"Everything will be fine, Satoshi. The years will go by and soon you'll be shaking hands with Lords and negotiating treaties and trade agreements or advising the Hokage himself."

"And you'll be the strongest shinobi."

"Kunoichi," corrected Sakura. "I'm going to be a kunoichi. And when that happens, maybe you could talk the Master into allowing females into the Institute."

With that Sakura let herself out and went in search of her Uncle. He was the only other person aware of hers and Satoshi's dangerous plan.

Her Uncle was in the kitchen, trying to charm the cook into giving him a few of her delicious strawberry pastries and stealing them when her back was turned. Sakura caught his eye and twitched her ear, their signal that they needed to talk. He stopped his flirting and followed her into the nearest drawing room.

"We're ready."

"Good. I have good news for you. Your father has agreed to let me handle any payments, correspondence, and disciplinary measures that might be needed."

Sakura felt like her legs would give out beneath her from the relief she felt. That was better than not quite lying. He would address all letters to Satoshi Haruno, and no one would know he even had a sister. She could take his place without any flags being raised.

"That said, we're leaving tomorrow. You need to choose a servant to go with you. Preferably a female who would be able to help you when you start to become a woman. I was thinking Karin."

She stared at her Uncle horrified. "You can't be serious! Karin is a gossip. She speaks to freely. I wouldn't last a day there. She would tell the first maid she met that her young 'master' is actually a young 'mistress.' I'll be killed on the spot!" Sakura hated Karin, and the feeling was mutual.

Her Uncle frowned. "Then who will you bring?"

"Tenten." Sakura decided. Tenten was technically a ward of Lord Haruno. A not so recently orphaned daughter of a blacksmith rejected by the rest of her family because she refused to attend finishing school in favor of apprenticing to a blacksmith. Unfortunately, there wasn't a blacksmith that would teach a female the tricks of their trade. It hadn't stopped Tenten, who swore to learn it on her own.

And Sakura was certain the girl would accept. Father had agreed to increase the wages of whatever servant accompanied his son. Tenten would earn money she could use to find a master who would apprentice her, and Sakura would get a companion she didn't have to hide around, with the added bonus of her expert knowledge of weapons.

She could see her Uncle thinking the change in plans over. In that way, he was like her father, but that was where the similarities ended. They both took the time to examine the potential consequences of any action they took or word they spoke, but her father was very dry, always serious, whereas her Uncle was more relaxed, outgoing while still refined, and lighthearted.

"Very well." Sakura danced a mental jig at her victory. "Tell your brother. And pack your bags."

Sakura sat atop her horse, looking at her house almost wistfully as four servants loaded their carefully packed luggage. She would reach the Institute a week before the year started in order to settle in. Her luggage would arrive a few days later. The trunks and bags were labeled to ensure they got sent to the right place. Sakura had packed her essentials in her brother's bags and he in hers.

A part of her still couldn't believe this was happening. She was off to train at the Shinobi Institute with none the wiser. With any luck their scheme wouldn't be discovered until well after she was issued her headband.

The group of four started down the main road. Their Uncle would see her and Tenten to the Institute before continuing on with Satoshi. It would be five days journey from the Land of Fire to the neutral grounds that was home to the Institute.

Tenten was vibrating with anticipation, eager to see the unique weapons other students would bring and the Institute's vast armory. The girl, only a year older than Sakura herself, had promised to keep her silence and Sakura trusted her. Now Tenten just needed to work on addressing her as a male.

Sakura had never seen anything as beautiful as the Institute. It was a castle. An aged stone castle with sprawling lawns built in the center of a bustling town. Her head swiveled on her neck trying to take it all in.

There was an inn that sounded to be very popular. And there was the crowded market. In the distance she could see a few clan shrines. As they passed through the gates she could the older students sparring. It was a cacophony of noise. Metal clanged, techniques were shouted. Sakura spied giant fireballs, earthen walls rising at the speed of light, water dragons forming above the lake.

It was magnificent.

This was what she would be learning to do for the next eight years.

Sakura followed her Uncle to meet with the Master. He welcomed her to the Shinobi Institute, laying down the school's strict rules, a no excuses curfew, penalties for bad behavior or failure to maintain the teachers' standards, visits to the town were a privilege that was earned, and many more.

Her head was swimming by the time they left his office and a servant directed her and Tenten to their room. The thought at the forefront was relief that he hadn't seen through them. Part of Sakura expected him to realize she was a girl the second she walked in the room and either call for her death or send her home in shame. Shinobi were trained to recognize deception.

She didn't even properly unpack once at her room. Sakura threw herself on her bed, exhausted both mentally and physically. Sleep sounded like heaven.

Her drifting thoughts of signing angels were interrupted by a loud knock on the door. Biting back a groan, she rose to answer it. She had hoped to put this off until tomorrow, when she would be better prepared, but gossip of the new boy traveled fast. Not unsurprising, shinobi lived or died by how much they knew, so they made it their business to know everything they can.

She inhaled. Now she would put all her years of training to act like a boy to the test.

Sakura pulled the door open, ready for anything.


	2. Chapter 2

Green eyes flickered over many faces, taking a quick head count.

There were eleven boys, well of course they were all boys, her mind scolded, there were no girls allowed, crowded in front of her door, of vastly different shapes and sizes and looks.

"We heard a rumor that a new boy arrived. You're awfully short, yeah. Are you sure you're ten, kid?"

Sakura glared at the boy, whose blonde hair was styled very much like a girl's. It was pulled back into a half pony tail with the rest hanging down and really long bangs covering his left eye, which she presumed was blue to match his right eye. She couldn't help her height. It was perfectly normal for a nine year old girl.

She settled for ignoring him. If she tried to argue they would only think her childish. Besides, it wasn't like she could prove her fake age. Males never came to the Institute before the age of ten. Their training was harsh and demanding so the king of the Elemental Nations made it a law that no one under the age of ten was to be accepted.

The pinkette thought it was a load of rubbish. Clans started training their firstborns as soon as they started walking. But due to an incident over a hundred years ago in which a seven year old boy died in an end of the year exam, the law had been passed. So Sakura would just be the shortest boy in their year.

"I'm Naruto Namikaze!" Another blonde with blue eyes shouted, hurriedly moving forward to shake her hand. "What's your name?"

"Satoshi Haruno."

If it wouldn't have been rude, Sakura would have shut her door. Their quiet stares and calculating eyes that measured and judged her made her feel uncomfortable.

Naruto loudly introduced her to the other boys. The taller blonde that had commented on her height was Deidara from Iwagakure. Then was two red heads from Sunagakure, cousins Gaara no Sabaku and Sasori no Akasuna, and Gaara's make up wearing brother Kankuro. Kabuto Yakushi, a bespectacled silver haired boy hailed from Otogakure.

The rest came from Konoha, just like her. Neji, from the Hyuuga clan, was eleven. The rest were all ten. Naruto was the son of the Yondaime Hokage. She could tell Kiba was an Inuzuka by the upside down red triangles on his cheeks. And the white puppy atop his head that yipped when introduced as Akamaru. Shikamaru Nara, his dark brown hair pulled up and back resembling a pineapple, gave her a lazy wave and a muttered "troublesome." Sakura could hardly see Shino Aburame's face behind his high collared coat and dark sunglasses. Chouji Akimichi, a rounded boy, also bore clan marking on his cheeks; red swirls.

Then Naruto pointedly grabbed a dark haired boy, whose hair stuck out in the back, forcibly dragging him forward, "And this is teme. Also known as Sasuke. And back there is teme's brother Itachi."

Sakura thought she was going to suffer a heart attack. Naruto was calling one of the kingdom's princes "teme?" Then her brain caught up and realized that she was going to be in the same year as the youngest prince. She almost thought she felt a chill settle over her as she gazed at Sasuke.

Would the scrutiny for potential dangers be more this year because Sasuke was starting? Would her secret be revealed? Her panicked thoughts were interrupted by the older of the Uchiha brothers.

"Each gennin is given a mentor." Itachi said smoothly. "A mentor shows you around the academy, makes sure that you're settling in, and helps you with homework if necessary. The older students are here to guide you and make your life a little easier."

Sakura's brain, sharp as ever, realized that they were all outside her room to pick new students to mentor, and that there was one more first year than older years.

Unsurprisingly, it was Itachi that took the responsibility of two students. He took her and Sasuke on a tour of the castle, mostly for her benefit. The Shinobi Institute had its own wing of the palace in which the two boys had grown up it.

"Classes won't begin for a week yet, so you'll have ample time to familiarize yourself with the layout." Itachi stated as he pointed out the hallway housing the classrooms.

Sakura only hoped she would still be here in a week. She was going to have to be vigilant. Maybe she could think of it as training. Her Uncle said ninjas often went undercover, playing a role for years. She should be able to do the same. And as long as nobody walked in on her in the baths, she should be safe.

Itachi continued to narrate as he led Sakura and Sasuke out onto the castle's sprawling grounds. "Now, while I'll help with academic work, physical training is your responsibility. You need to maintain your form. Halfway through the year and at the end of the year there are evaluations; academic and physical. If you're not prepared you will be cut."

His warning came across loud and clear. Train until you collapse, both mind and body, and get up and do it again the next day. Shinobi were a nation's defense and they could not afford unprepared soldiers.

* * *

New students and returning ones poured into the castle as the summer season came to an end.

Sakura didn't notice any of them. She spent her free week down on the practice grounds, observing and filing away different jutsus, muscle strengthening techniques, and various katas.

She refused to be cut.

She noticed the older students were out there nearly every day. On Thursday they all mysteriously disappeared. Sakura wondered for a minute where they would go but quickly forgot about it when Naruto came tearing onto the grass trailed by Sasuke.

"Alright, teme! This time I'm going to beat you! I'm going to be the next Hokage you know!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, apparently familiar with the blonde's loud declarations, and settled into a basic taijutsu stance, his right leg forward and bent at the knee and one arm hovering over his weapons pouch. Naruto mimicked his stance.

The fight was quick and completely in the dark haired boy's favor. It was rough and unfinished, a show of raw power, which wasn't much. They lashed out with fists and beat each other, Sasuke landing blows way more often than Naruto. It lacked the beauty, precision, and finesse she had seen all week.

But watching their spar made Sakura feel better. Even the children from clans were coming in with as much training as her. Maybe a little less actually. Sakura's Uncle pushed her limits since Satoshi's accident so that she would be able to keep up with the boys. At that moment she felt more confident in her disguise. If this was the level expected from them, there was no way she would be sent home in December.

Sakura continued to watch from the sidelines as the other four boys paired off, cataloging what little abilities she saw. All four of them were from prominent clans. The Naras were well known for their manipulation of shadows. It was said they could create shadows in shadows. The Akimichi clan could enlarge various body parts to the point where his fist could be large enough to flatten a building. The Aburame clan's partnership with bugs kind of creeped her out. They lived inside their body. The Inuzuka's was equally obvious, for they were never seen without their nin-hound companions.

And when she bid good night to Tenten that night, she was ready for her training to start. The next day was going to be so exciting and she simply couldn't wait to get started.


	3. Chapter 3

**This one's a little short, but I wanted to get it to you guys. This chapter's for BriEva, who's been popping up in my inbox a lot lately. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

After two weeks at the Shinobi Institute, Sakura knew she was in trouble.

Serious trouble.

She thought she had been prepared for the rigorous training and trials she would face once the year began. She had been fast tracked through the basics when her brother was injured over two years ago. She displayed more skills than the boys that came from civilian backgrounds, but compared to the ones from noble families . . .

The girl never imagined she'd have so much trouble keeping up.

Her shortcomings raised niggling doubts that hovered in the back of her mind. The boys' abilities far surpassed her own. Sakura didn't have the years of training the rest of her classmates did. They had known all their lives they would be attending the Shinobi Institute, and she only had two years to learn everything they had grown up with.

Was that why there had been no kunoichi for a thousand years? Was the female body just not designed to handle the life style of shinobi life? Was her body just too weak? Was it an impossible dream?

And it was only the physical aspect she was struggling with. Her academic senseis praised her until they were blue in the face, ecstatic to have a student that excelled in their area and didn't brush it off as boring or unimportant.

Right now, Sakura's high score's in classes like Shinobi Rules, Ninja Basics, Chakra, and Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Genjutsu, as well as Mathematics, Reading and Writing and History of the Elemental Nations and Warfare, were what kept her from being in the bottom of the class. Her desire for knowledge meant she absorbed the material like a sponge. Quizzes came back with perfect scores and homework met every expectation.

Gai Maito, who taught everything to do with Taijutsu, had a lot to say about her flames of youth and how he had never met another student who had the potential to become a taijutsu master. That was, until he saw her abysmal attempts and poor stances.

But all the information she knew couldn't compensate for her borderline failing grades in Sparring, Stamina and Fitness, Throwing and Katas.

She just wasn't as fit as the other children. She tired easily, her stances were sloppy, her attacks blatant and uncoordinated, etc. Her physical instructors were always finding something to critique, and the civilian boys laughed at the noble that couldn't perform up to par.

The only assignment she hadn't failed was causing a leaf to stick to her forehead with chakra. The red head had no problems with her chakra control.

Her failings brought her to tears of frustration.

The salty liquid seeped into her pillow, which she was using to muffle the sound of her crying.

Sakura had overestimated herself. Or maybe underestimated just how hard it would be to become a shinobi. Either way, she was woefully ill prepared for the Institute. For a moment she considered packing her bags, fleeing the Institute and running back to the Haruno compound. Surely it would be better if she admitted that she could not become a shinobi, and they explained that Satoshi could not either. If they knew that he had a debilitating injury, they might make an exception to the law.

Then she thought of the disgrace that would befall her family if she quit. No noble son had every quit.

But wouldn't it be worse when the mid-year exams arrived and instead of cutting a civilian child from the program, she was sent home instead? It would be humiliating.

"My la-lord? Are you alright?"

Sakura jerked upright, dragging the palms of her hands hastily across her face to hide the signs of her tears.

She winced when Tenten gently stroked her cheek with a cool cloth. "Wiping the tears away only make your face redder, my lord." The older girl's lips still twitched every time she called Sakura a lord.

"I'm sorry, Tenten. This is all just so . . . hard. I don't think I can do it."

"You won't with that attitude." Tenten said sharply. "You knew this wasn't going to be easy, but this is what you wanted. You have a magnificent opportunity in front of you and you can't just give up because it's too hard. If that's the case, you'll have to work twice as hard."

"I don't think I know what I wanted. I'm not cut out to be a ninja."

"Then forget what you want. Remember why you're here."

Sakura blinked. Remember why she was here. She was here because Satoshi couldn't be, because the law demanded his attendance or the consequences would be severe. She didn't actually know what the horrible consequence were, since it had been centuries since one of the noble clans refused to send their only son to the Institute, but she was not eager to have the kingdom's wrath brought down upon her family because she quit.

That was her purpose here. She was protecting Satoshi.

"Thank you, Tenten," she said, smiling softly.

It was too late to turn back now. Sakura had to finish the eight years of training; she had to protect her older brother.

"Right, now let's see if I can't fix your problems." Tenten determinedly said.

"Fix my problems?" The other girl echoed.

"That's what a servant does, is that not?" The bun haired female winked at Sakura as she picked up her ink brush and drew a rough target on the wall. Then she tossed Sakura her weapons pouch.

The startled red head fumbled the pouch, which hit the stone floor with a thunk and the kunais and shurikens held within scattered. Sakura blushed as he hurriedly shoved them all back into the pouch, only to have Tenten snatch it out of her hands.

"Hey!" she exclaimed.

"This won't do at all!" bemoaned the brunette. "Just look how disorganized this is. Once we've fixed your aim, I'm going to show you how to seal weapons into scrolls. That way you can carry more and put them away neatly."

"I didn't know you knew ninja techniques."

Tenten shrugged. "I only know what I've heard from shinobi that came to my father's shop. I can teach you how to properly take care of just about any weapon they might give you and the basics of how to wield it."

Sakura bit her lip. Tenten never really talked about her family. The only ones she had cared for were her mother, who had died when she was a small child, and her father, who died when his blacksmith and shop caught fire. She knew Tenten had admired her father very much, because she wished to follow in his footsteps, but she hadn't known how much the other girl had already learned about the trade she was in love with.

"I'd love that, if you don't mind."

The change in Tenten's demeanor was instantaneous. "No problem, my lord. Now," she withdrew one kunai and pressed it into Sakura's hands, showing her the proper way to grip the blade, "a kunai is a common tool, designed for thrusting and stabbing. It's not really meant to be thrown, they're too easy to deflect or avoid, but if you attach a paper bomb to them, they're an excellent weapon. However, you need to be accurate when throwing because explosive tags don't have the largest range. What you're holding now is a basic kunai. There are other molds and variations available depending on what you need the kunai to do."

Sakura listened intently as Tenten explained the best way to throw the kunai and then demonstrated by hitting the center of her practice target.

"Is this a good idea? I mean gouging holes in the wall." Sakura clarified when her companion drew herself up for another lecture slash pep talk.

"Oh, that's easy to fix. Now you try."

Sakura practiced until lights out. She would have kept going but she was sure that her fellow ninja in training would not appreciate the constant thud of kunai all night long. As it was, she didn't feel like she had made much progress.

Her wild throws had resulted in the first dozen kunai hitting well outside the painted target, and with Tenten's instruction she gradually pulled them in until they were within the outer ring. But they never hit any closer to the bull's-eye and the holes were erratic. She couldn't hit the same place twice.

Tenten had reassured her, saying that she wasn't expected to master the technique of throwing kunai overnight. Hitting the target was progress, and with more practice would come the speed, accuracy and consistency.

When Sakura woke early the next morning to do a simple routine of muscle building exercises her servant had recommended, the ink was scrubbed off the wall and there was no sign that she had ever thrown a hundred kunai at it. There were also three sealing scrolls lying innocently next to her completed homework, and a note saying that Tenten would show her how to use them later tonight.

Tenten was scarily efficient.


End file.
